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Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva
ॐ विश्वं विष्णुर्वषट्कारो भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः
Om Vishwam Vishnur-vashatkaaro Bhoota-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuh
"The universe is Vishnu — he is the lord of past, present, and future." — Names 1–2
1000
Names
108
Key names
13
Phala-shruti benefits
Bhishma
Speaker
After the Kurukshetra war, the great Bhishma Pitamaha lies on a bed of arrows, waiting for the auspicious Uttarayana to depart. Yudhishthira approaches him with a question: 'What single name satisfies all gods simultaneously?' Bhishma answers that there is only one such name — Narayana — and then proceeds to recite the 1000 names of Vishnu. This dialogue is preserved in the Anushasana Parva (Chapter 149) of the Mahabharata, transmitted by Vyasa.
Source
Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva (Ch. 149)
Speaker
Bhishma Pitamaha (on the arrow-bed)
Listener
Yudhishthira (King)
Total names
1000 (+8 opening slokas)
Creation · Sustenance · Dissolution — mirroring the Triguna
Sanskrit etymology and philosophical significance
vis — to pervade
The very first name and the name of the entire scripture: Vishnu means 'the all-pervading one.' He is present in every atom, every thought, every breath. Not just a deity in a temple — but the substratum of all existence.
hrishika + isha — lord of senses
Hrishikesha is the name of Vishnu/Krishna used when Arjuna requests the Bhagavad Gita on the battlefield. It means 'lord of the senses' — he who controls both the physical senses and the cosmic forces that the senses represent. The name captures Vishnu's role as the inner guide and controller of all perception.
padma + nabha — lotus + navel
From Vishnu's navel, while he rests on Shesha Naga in the cosmic ocean (Yoga-nidra), a lotus emerges from which Brahma is born. This image — Ananta Shayana (eternal recliner) — is the most iconic depiction of Vishnu and is the icon of Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Trivandrum). Padmanabha is Vishnu as the originator of creation itself.
nara + ayana — goal/abode of souls
Narayana — the abode of all souls (nara = soul, ayana = refuge/abode). All living beings ultimately return to Narayana. This is also interpreted as 'one who moves on the waters' (nara = water, ayana = moving) — Vishnu as Ananta Shayana on the cosmic ocean. One of the most potent names, synonymous with Vishnu himself.
As described by Bhishma in the Anushasana Parva — 13 blessings
Liberation from fear
Protection from enemies
Fulfillment of desires
Long life
Good progeny
Wealth and prosperity
Success in endeavors
Freedom from illness
Attainment of dharma, artha, kama, moksha
Victory in litigation
End of sorrows and difficulties
Safe childbirth and protection of children
Liberation (moksha) at death
Best day
Thursday (Guruvaar)
Time
Dawn or dusk preferred
Repetitions
1 full reading or 108x any one name
Special occasions
Ekadashi, Janmashtami, Vishnu vrat days
Mahabharata, Lalitha Sahasranamam, and Srimad Bhagavatam — explore more
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